Iron Weapons were first used by the Hittites as early as the 12 century B.C. From there an explosion of iron manufacturing swept through Europe and Asia. Mediterranean and northern Africans cultures used weapons such as iron tipped spears and iron tipped arrows. The Roman Gladius was mainly used for thrusting instead of slicing. Romans also used long spears called Pilums that were tipped with iron heads. Egyptians used a sword called the Kopesh which could be used as an axe or a sword with a slicing action. Tridents were popular among cultures such as the Greeks (Poseidon) and India (Shiva). http://news.softpedia.com/news/Hittites-The-People-That-Discovered-the-Iron-77680.shtml
The History of Weapons (Major Inventions Through History) by Judith Herbst
Daniel Flores Pd.5
Asain Composite bow with composition
Composite bows are bows that are made when different materials (wood bone sinew) are laminated together to create more tension creating powerful bows and smaller bows. Around 2500 B.C. people started riding horses and thus the composite bow was created. The Hittites, again being innovators in weaponry, began using the composite bow in chariots, followed by the Egyptians. This proved to be deadly strategy for projectile weaponry. Mongols were exceptional in their horseback archery. Asian culture developed unique bows and form http://www.archeryequipment.org/category/bow-evolution/ http://www.silkroadfoundation.org/newsletter/vol8/
Daniel Flores Pd.5
Chariots and Horseback Riding
Egyptian chariot with Pharoah
Horseback Riding is estimated at 4500 B.C.E. by river civilizations. They would use a tool call a bit in the mouth of the horse to control it. Some civilizations preferred using saddles others bare back riding. http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/past-exhibitions/horse
Chariots were used as .high mobility vehicles first drawn with donkeys and then horses consisting of a carriage spoked wheels and two or more horses.. Hittites are credited with the use of chariots in warfare. Almost every civilization has used chariots for transportation and warfare. http://www.nytimes.com/1994/02/22/science/remaking-the-wheel-evolution-of-the-chariot.html?src=pm
Daniel Flores Pd.5
Ziggurats
Ziggurat
Ziggurats are structures built in Mesopotamia with stepped sides, such as the pyramids. Ziggurats started with a rectangular base and went up in blocks that went down in size. The meaning for building the ziggurats is the commonly accepted theory that they were temples to the gods of Mesopotamia. The reason for this theory is: stairs leading to the top which there was a small room most likely used for ceremonies. http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/ancientarchitecture/g/Ziggurat.htm
Daniel Flores Pd.5
Pyramids
Pyramids in Egypt
Pyramids are towering structures built with immense blocks used for the burial tombs of pharaohs. Slaves were forced to build theses pyramids and would take years. The top was usually tipped with tiny pyramids covered in sheet gold to reflect the sun light. Pyramids are stereotypically Egyptian but meso amercan cultures such as the Mayan and Aztecs also built pyramids for religious purposes. http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/pyramids/home.html
Daniel Flores Pd.5
Defensive Walls
Defensive wall in the MIddle East
Defensive walls are one priority when making a city. Whether it ranges from the Great Wall of china to the little Indus River valley foritfications, these walls could be the difference between life or death. Defensive walls usually outline towns and cities but sometimes a double walled city ( first wall city defense. Second wall to protect the high palaces and rulers area). Regioanl walls would also be built to mark terrtiorires. From the Sumerians to the Medieval ages walls were built from stone,mud, sticks even bricks. The Types of defensive walls varied from the land and area. English fortifications typically had watch towers and early civilizations just had a single line of wall. Defensive walls also led to the creation of siege weapons( Battering ram, catapults, ladders) http://www.knowledgerush.com/kr/encyclopedia/Defensive_wall/
Daniel Flores Pd.5
Monumental Agriculture and Urban Planning: Streets and roads: They were built from about 500 BC through the time of the Roman Empire. They provided efficient travel for armies, civilians, and the inland carriage of official communications and trade goods. There were a lot of different Roman roads, such as small local roads, and highways built to connect cities, major towns and military bases. These major roads were often stone-paved and metaled, cambered for drainage, and were flanked by footpaths, bridleways and drainage ditches. In order to build a road they used a tool called a groma. -Veronica Bailey Period 5
Sewage and the Water System: The Indus valley was known for their water management. Most of the excavations were the cities of Harappa, Mohenjo-daro and Dholavira. They had really liked water. They prayed to the rivers every day in order to help their civilization. They had well-constructed wells, tanks, public baths, a wide drinking system and a city [[#|sewage system]]. Each city had two regions - a higher ground, which contained the 'Citadel', that was the main administrative area and the lower city where the houses were situated. Everything that was important was situated on the higher ground. The baths and wells were situated there, which means they served as really important necessities. -Veronica Bailey Period 5 http://library.thinkquest.org/C006203/cgi-bin/stories.cgi?article=town_planning§ion=history/indus&frame=parent
Art and ARTISANSHIP: [[#|Sculptures]]: Sounio Kouros,
Marble, 3m tall, circa 600 B.C.
Found in a pit at the temple of Poseidon at Sounio along with parts of four other destroyed kouroi. -Veronica Bailey Period 5 http://www.greeklandscapes.com/greece/athens_museum_archaic.html
Wall Decorations: The word Fresco (Italian for 'fresh') is a way of painting where the paints are mixed only with water and then applied directly onto plaster. The surface is usually a wall or ceiling. The liquid paint is absorbed by the plaster and as the plaster dries the pigments are retained in the wall. - Veronica Bailey Period 5
ART AND ARTISANSHIP Elaborate Weaving- The earliest forms of textiles can be dated to around 6000 BCE. People in this time period used animal and plant fibers to form these textiles. They developed forms of weaving fabrics and spinning threat. These [[#|jobs]] were carried out by the women at home while also doing other domestic activities such as taking care of the children.
Linen was commonly used in Egypt around 5000 BCE. "UNIT I: FOUNDATIONS (8000 BCE TO 600 CE)." . N.p.. Web. 14 Oct 2013. <http://www.historyhaven.com/APWH/unit1/UNIT I NOTES.htm>. Cristina Carreon Period 5
SYSTEMS OF RECORD KEEPING Cuneiform- This was the first fully developed writing system. It originated in Mesopotamia around 3500 BCE. This form of writing had wedged characters and originally had about 2000 characters, but was later reduced to about 300. Cuneiform was first developed to record important information such as bushels of barley, heads of cattle, and jars of oil. The last known document recorded in this writing system was written in the first century BCE.
This clay tablet tallying the number of someone’s sheep and goat was found in Tello. German, Senta. "Cuneiform and the Invention of Writing." smart history. Khan Academy. Web. 14 Oct 2013. Cristina Carreon Period 5
Hieroglyphs- Originated in Egypt around 3000 BCE. This was a complex pictorial language. It was only understood by high class people including priests. This written language included thousands of characters. The last known use of this language was around 500 AD.
Pictographs- Records consisting in pictorial symbols. Both Sumerians and Egyptians began recording information with pictographic symbols, but later evolved into more complex forms of writing such as cuneiform and hieroglyphics. This form of recording information began in 3300 BCE in Mesopotamia and in 3200 BCE in Egypt.
Ancient Pictograph found on a cave wall, dated to around 3000 BCE. Fajardo-Acosta, Fidel. "Origins of Writing: From Pictographs to Alphabets ." World Literature Website. N.p., 12 Jan 2010. Web. 14 Oct 2013. <http://fajardo-acosta.com/worldlit/language/origins-writing.htm >. Cristina Carreon Period 5
Alphabets- The first alphabet was created by the Phoenicians around 2000 BCE. They created a 22 character system. Each character symbolized a single syllable, rather than a word or group of words. This alphabet later became the basis for the Greek and Roman alphabets. The Greeks alphabet was the first to include vowels. They gave the name “alphabet” for this writing system using the first 2 symbols: Alpha and Beta. The Etruscan people of Italy adopted the alphabet from the Greek around the 7th century BCE and later passed it on to the Romans, who later developed the Latin alphabet.
Phoenician alphabet "Origins of Alphabets." slide share. Slide Share Inc.. Web. 14 Oct 2013. <http://www.slideshare.net/MikaelaD/origins-of-alphabets>. Cristina Carreon Period
Systems of Record Keeping: Quipu Quipu was an accounting device based on ropes and knots, used by the Incas in ancient Peru. A single quipu could be several ropes tied together. At its simplest form a “main” cord ties a number of “pendant” cords into a unit, this can be repeated up to four levels deep. The main content of quipus is numbers represented by knots. They can range from no knots, which represents zero to nine knots, which represents nine.
One example of a Quipu.
Carla Viesca Literature: Gilgamesh
The Epic of Gilgamesh may be the oldest written story on earth, written between 2700 B.C.E and 600 B.C.E. It is from ancient Sumeria and was originally written on 12 clay tablets in cuneiform script in Akkadian. This epic is about the historical king of Uruk, Gilgamesh, who ruled around 2700 B.C.E. Gilgamesh was widely worshipped, even after his death, dozens of stories about the king circulated through the ancient Middle East. Over time many of those stories were compiled into a large, epic work. It casts strange gods, has an unfamiliar theory about the creation of the universe, asks what price people will pay to be civilized and questions the roles of a proper king, it also acknowledges and scrutinizes the attractions of earthly fame. Most of all, it describes the struggles of the supremely strong man who must reconcile himself to his mortality and find meaning in his life despite the inevitability of death.
Stone statue of Gilgamesh.
Carla Viesca Literature: Rig Veda
The Rig Veda is a collection of over 1000 hymns directed to the Hindu gods, and is considered to be one of the foundations of the Hindu religions. Rig is the oldest of the Vedas, the other three are: the Sama Veda “knowledge of chants”, the Yajur Veda “Knowledge of Rites”, and the Athara Veda. When the Vedas were first written down it was in Vedic, and early form of Sanskrit. The Rig Veda was written down my Aryans between 1300 and 1000 B.C.E. These hymns include praises, blessings, sacrifices, and curses; the Rig Veda was a major way in which the Aryans praised their gods. The Hymns are written in poetic form.
The Rig Veda was later used in the creation of the caste system because it describes how the god Purusha sacrificed himself to himself, each piece of his body became a different part of society. (Mouth= Brahmin or Priests, Arms=Kshatriyas or Warriors, Thighs= Vaisyas or merchants, farmers, herders and artisans, Feet= sudras or slaves and servants)
Page of hymns from the Rig Veda.
Carla Viesca
Literature: The Book of the Dead
Known to the Egyptians as Reu nu pert em hru, which translates to The Chapters of Coming Forth by Day, is a collection of magic spells and formulas illustrated and written on papyrus. The deceased would commission this book before their death, and a scribe would fill in the blanks with that person’s name. This collection of funerary chapters began to appear in in Egyptian tombs around 1600 B.C.E, and was intended to be read by the deceased during their journey to the underworld. It was to enable the deceased to overcome obstacles and to not lose their way. This was done by showing them passwords, giving clues, and revealing routes that allowed the deceased to answer questions and navigate around hazards. The book was believed to also grant help and protection from the gods, while also announcing the deceased’s identity to the gods.
The papyrus of Ani is one of the most complete examples of Egyptian funerary texts.
Carla Viesca
Temples
One of the most important temples in Babylonia was Esagila, a temple dedicated to the god Marduk, the tutelary deity of that city. The temple represents centuries of building and rebuilding by Babylonian kings.
King Solomon’s Temple was built around the 10th century B.C.E, it is located atop Mt. Morian in Jerusalem, and is a rectangular structure surrounded by open courtyards. It had to be rebuilt two times due to invaders. It was destroyed in 70 A.D by the Romans.
The White Temple at Uruk is a shrine named in modern times for its white washed mud-brick walls. It is believed to have been dedicated to the sky god Anu, the temple sits on its ziggurat platform 40ft above the ground. It is about 60ft long and was built for rituals in which only a select few acted as intermediaries to the gods.
Weapons: Iron weapons and Composite Bows
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Hittites-The-People-That-Discovered-the-Iron-77680.shtml
The History of Weapons (Major Inventions Through History) by Judith Herbst
Daniel Flores Pd.5
http://www.archeryequipment.org/category/bow-evolution/
http://www.silkroadfoundation.org/newsletter/vol8/
Daniel Flores Pd.5
Chariots and Horseback Riding
http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/past-exhibitions/horse
Chariots were used as .high mobility vehicles first drawn with donkeys and then horses consisting of a carriage spoked wheels and two or more horses.. Hittites are credited with the use of chariots in warfare. Almost every civilization has used chariots for transportation and warfare.
http://www.nytimes.com/1994/02/22/science/remaking-the-wheel-evolution-of-the-chariot.html?src=pm
Daniel Flores Pd.5
Ziggurats
http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/ancientarchitecture/g/Ziggurat.htm
Daniel Flores Pd.5
Pyramids
http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/pyramids/home.html
Daniel Flores Pd.5
Defensive Walls
http://www.knowledgerush.com/kr/encyclopedia/Defensive_wall/
Daniel Flores Pd.5
Monumental Agriculture and Urban Planning:
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/roman_roads.htm
Sewage and the Water System: The Indus valley was known for their water management. Most of the excavations were the cities of Harappa, Mohenjo-daro and Dholavira. They had really liked water. They prayed to the rivers every day in order to help their civilization. They had well-constructed wells, tanks, public baths, a wide drinking system and a city [[#|sewage system]]. Each city had two regions - a higher ground, which contained the 'Citadel', that was the main administrative area and the lower city where the houses were situated. Everything that was important was situated on the higher ground. The baths and wells were situated there, which means they served as really important necessities. -Veronica Bailey Period 5
http://library.thinkquest.org/C006203/cgi-bin/stories.cgi?article=town_planning§ion=history/indus&frame=parent
Art and ARTISANSHIP:
Marble, 3m tall, circa 600 B.C.
Found in a pit at the temple of Poseidon at Sounio along with parts of four other destroyed kouroi.
-Veronica Bailey Period 5
http://www.greeklandscapes.com/greece/athens_museum_archaic.html
Paintings: Wallpainting of Queen Nefertari, c. 1298-1235 B.C. This painting from her tomb wall shows a royal name, because there is a cartouche in the painting. It was used to contain a royal name. -Veronica Bailey Period 5
Wall Decorations:
The word Fresco (Italian for 'fresh') is a way of painting where the paints are mixed only with water and then applied directly onto plaster.
The surface is usually a wall or ceiling. The liquid paint is absorbed by the plaster and as the plaster dries the pigments are retained in the wall. - Veronica Bailey Period 5
http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/greek-art.htm
ART AND ARTISANSHIP
Elaborate Weaving- The earliest forms of textiles can be dated to around 6000 BCE. People in this time period used animal and plant fibers to form these textiles. They developed forms of weaving fabrics and spinning threat. These [[#|jobs]] were carried out by the women at home while also doing other domestic activities such as taking care of the children.
Linen was commonly used in Egypt around 5000 BCE.
"UNIT I: FOUNDATIONS (8000 BCE TO 600 CE)." . N.p.. Web. 14 Oct 2013. <http://www.historyhaven.com/APWH/unit1/UNIT I NOTES.htm>.
Cristina Carreon Period 5
SYSTEMS OF RECORD KEEPING
Cuneiform- This was the first fully developed writing system. It originated in Mesopotamia around 3500 BCE. This form of writing had wedged characters and originally had about 2000 characters, but was later reduced to about 300. Cuneiform was first developed to record important information such as bushels of barley, heads of cattle, and jars of oil. The last known document recorded in this writing system was written in the first century BCE.
This clay tablet tallying the number of someone’s sheep and goat was found in Tello.
German, Senta. "Cuneiform and the Invention of Writing." smart history. Khan Academy. Web. 14 Oct 2013.
Cristina Carreon Period 5
Hieroglyphs- Originated in Egypt around 3000 BCE. This was a complex pictorial language. It was only understood by high class people including priests. This written language included thousands of characters. The last known use of this language was around 500 AD.
These Hieroglyphics were found carved on a clay tablet in Egypt.
"History of Hieroglyphics ." . Attic Designs. Web. 14 Oct 2013. <http://www.ancient-egypt-online.com/history-of-hieroglyphics.html>.
Cristina Carreon Period 5
Pictographs- Records consisting in pictorial symbols. Both Sumerians and Egyptians began recording information with pictographic symbols, but later evolved into more complex forms of writing such as cuneiform and hieroglyphics. This form of recording information began in 3300 BCE in Mesopotamia and in 3200 BCE in Egypt.
Ancient Pictograph found on a cave wall, dated to around 3000 BCE.
Fajardo-Acosta, Fidel. "Origins of Writing: From Pictographs to Alphabets ." World Literature Website. N.p., 12 Jan 2010. Web. 14 Oct 2013. <http://fajardo-acosta.com/worldlit/language/origins-writing.htm >.
Cristina Carreon Period 5
Alphabets- The first alphabet was created by the Phoenicians around 2000 BCE. They created a 22 character system. Each character symbolized a single syllable, rather than a word or group of words. This alphabet later became the basis for the Greek and Roman alphabets. The Greeks alphabet was the first to include vowels. They gave the name “alphabet” for this writing system using the first 2 symbols: Alpha and Beta. The Etruscan people of Italy adopted the alphabet from the Greek around the 7th century BCE and later passed it on to the Romans, who later developed the Latin alphabet.
Phoenician alphabet
"Origins of Alphabets." slide share. Slide Share Inc.. Web. 14 Oct 2013. <http://www.slideshare.net/MikaelaD/origins-of-alphabets>.
Cristina Carreon Period
Systems of Record Keeping: Quipu
Quipu was an accounting device based on ropes and knots, used by the Incas in ancient Peru. A single quipu could be several ropes tied together. At its simplest form a “main” cord ties a number of “pendant” cords into a unit, this can be repeated up to four levels deep. The main content of quipus is numbers represented by knots. They can range from no knots, which represents zero to nine knots, which represents nine.
Carla Viesca
Literature: Gilgamesh
The Epic of Gilgamesh may be the oldest written story on earth, written between 2700 B.C.E and 600 B.C.E. It is from ancient Sumeria and was originally written on 12 clay tablets in cuneiform script in Akkadian. This epic is about the historical king of Uruk, Gilgamesh, who ruled around 2700 B.C.E. Gilgamesh was widely worshipped, even after his death, dozens of stories about the king circulated through the ancient Middle East. Over time many of those stories were compiled into a large, epic work. It casts strange gods, has an unfamiliar theory about the creation of the universe, asks what price people will pay to be civilized and questions the roles of a proper king, it also acknowledges and scrutinizes the attractions of earthly fame. Most of all, it describes the struggles of the supremely strong man who must reconcile himself to his mortality and find meaning in his life despite the inevitability of death.
Carla Viesca
Literature: Rig Veda
The Rig Veda is a collection of over 1000 hymns directed to the Hindu gods, and is considered to be one of the foundations of the Hindu religions. Rig is the oldest of the Vedas, the other three are: the Sama Veda “knowledge of chants”, the Yajur Veda “Knowledge of Rites”, and the Athara Veda. When the Vedas were first written down it was in Vedic, and early form of Sanskrit. The Rig Veda was written down my Aryans between 1300 and 1000 B.C.E. These hymns include praises, blessings, sacrifices, and curses; the Rig Veda was a major way in which the Aryans praised their gods. The Hymns are written in poetic form.
The Rig Veda was later used in the creation of the caste system because it describes how the god Purusha sacrificed himself to himself, each piece of his body became a different part of society. (Mouth= Brahmin or Priests, Arms=Kshatriyas or Warriors, Thighs= Vaisyas or merchants, farmers, herders and artisans, Feet= sudras or slaves and servants)
Carla Viesca
Literature: The Book of the Dead
Known to the Egyptians as Reu nu pert em hru, which translates to The Chapters of Coming Forth by Day, is a collection of magic spells and formulas illustrated and written on papyrus. The deceased would commission this book before their death, and a scribe would fill in the blanks with that person’s name. This collection of funerary chapters began to appear in in Egyptian tombs around 1600 B.C.E, and was intended to be read by the deceased during their journey to the underworld. It was to enable the deceased to overcome obstacles and to not lose their way. This was done by showing them passwords, giving clues, and revealing routes that allowed the deceased to answer questions and navigate around hazards. The book was believed to also grant help and protection from the gods, while also announcing the deceased’s identity to the gods.
Carla Viesca
Temples
One of the most important temples in Babylonia was Esagila, a temple dedicated to the god Marduk, the tutelary deity of that city. The temple represents centuries of building and rebuilding by Babylonian kings.
King Solomon’s Temple was built around the 10th century B.C.E, it is located atop Mt. Morian in Jerusalem, and is a rectangular structure surrounded by open courtyards. It had to be rebuilt two times due to invaders. It was destroyed in 70 A.D by the Romans.
The White Temple at Uruk is a shrine named in modern times for its white washed mud-brick walls. It is believed to have been dedicated to the sky god Anu, the temple sits on its ziggurat platform 40ft above the ground. It is about 60ft long and was built for rituals in which only a select few acted as intermediaries to the gods.
Carla Viesca pd.5
References:www.ancientscripts.com
www.thenagain.info
www.egyptartsite.com
www.britannica.com
www.icee.usm.edu
www. mhhe.com